Besides Lipstick Under My Burkha, Poorna and A Death In The Gunj, two Bengali feature films, Indrashish Acharya's Bilu Rakkhosh and Manas Mukul Pal's Sahaj Paather Gappo, are going to be screened at 17th New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) this year. Moreover, Joy Sengupta, the lead in Bilu Rakkhosh, has been nominated under the Best Actor category while Sahaj Paather Gappo, received two nominations -Best Film and Best Director.

Indrashish, an employee of a leading consultancy firm and a part-time filmmaker, is extremely happy with the recognition his first full-fledged feature is receiving. “Earlier, I had made few shorts. But Bilu is my first feature and I have made this film with all our heart.Of course, I am happy , but I've bigger expectations. The film will be released soon and I want audiences to watch it with a neutral mind,“ the director said.Bilu Rakkhosh that also features Koneenica Banerjee and Kanchana Moitra, delves into the life of a techie who fails to pursue his passion owing to rapid change in the socio-economic values.

Manas, an aspirant actor-turned filmmaker, has already tasted a bit of success. Two child actors in his film, Nur Islam and Samiul Alam, won the National Awards in the Child Actor category. NYIFF is, however, Manas' first international recognition. “When you make a film, you do expect your work to be recognised. But it is overwhelming
when you actually get it,“ he said.

It has been a rather long journey for Manas too. “When I selected Nur and Samiul on board -two amateurs -everybody said it was going to be the biggest mistake of my life. They said it'd be my first and last film. I have come a long way since then and the result is proof of my hard work,“ said the director. Besides these feature films, Sagneek Chatterjee Sharma's crowdfunded documentary on the iconic Bengali sleuth Feluda, Feluda 50 years of Ray's Detective, and The Argumentative Indian, Suman Ghosh's documentary on Amartya Sen, will also be screened at the festival. NYIFF will kickstart on April 30 at Village East Cinemas in New York.